Like all truly great rock albums --
the Stooges'Funhouse,
Birthday Party's Prayers on Fire,
Sonic Youth's Sister, to name just a few --
Gravitar's
Now the Road of Knives cannot be ignored while it plays; it is clearly not background music. An absorbing, unrelenting soundscape, the album pummels the listener into countless psychedelic netherworlds. Guitars transcend themselves to become shrieks, howls, and monsters born of both violence and mercy, both pleading and punishing. Though they're often lumped in with the abstract noise camp, what separates
Gravitar from such easy comparisons is the rock-based structure that anchors their sound. This is most readily apparent in Eric Cook's precision drumming.
Now the Road of Knives is a true challenge, constantly redefining and reinventing itself, refusing to keep quiet. ~ Matthew Kantor